S Korea’s SKC Corp schedules PO/SM plant shutdowns in March

14 December 2012 09:35[Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--SKC Corp has scheduled a month-long shutdown of its 175,000 tonne/year propylene oxide (PO)/styrene monomer (SM) plant in Ulsan, South Korea, in March 2013 for maintenance, a company source said on Friday.

“We will be having a four week regular shutdown for the [PO/SM] plant for preventive maintenance,” said the source.

“Government officials will also be coming to inspect and check the facility,” the source added.

Maintenance is typically scheduled once every 3-4 years for the PO/SM plant.

SKC Corp will also shut its 150,000 tonne/year hydrogen oxide to propylene oxide (HPPO) plant for two weeks in March, the company source said.

The source said the electrical transformer that provides voltage step-down for the HPPO plant will be undergoing regular maintenance for two weeks and no electricity will be available to power the plant at the time.

Market sources estimate that the shutdowns will result in a loss of at least 20,000 tonnes of PO production in March.